Cigarette bod sealer



Patented Feb. 26, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGARETTE ROD SEALERApplication May 22, 1934, Serial No. 727,003

10 Claims.

This invention relates to cigarette rod sealers for continuous rodcigarette machines, its main object being to provide an endless belttype sealer in which the sealing belt is narrow enough to go between theedges of the forming tape during the rod sealing operation, and in whichthe belt travels in a direction opposite to the movement of thecigarette rod. A further object is the production of a universallyadjustable self cleaning cigarette rod sealer. Another object is theprovision of a resilient mounting for the belt to take up the expansionof the belt when it is heated. Still another object is to provide meansfor automatically moving the sealing belt out of contact with the heaterwhen lifting the sealer off the cigarette rod during operation of themachine. And still another object is to drive the sealing belt by pinchrollers which provide a more positive drive of the belt and serve todispense with the necessity of flanges on the belt pulleys retaining thebelt thereon, which flanges might interfere with the rod.

These objects are achieved by running the endless steel sealing belt atlow speed over a pair of relatively yieldable pulleys supported in ahorizontally and vertically adjustable frame carrying an electric heaterhaving a shoe in contact with the sealing loop of the moving belt. Thesaid frame is swingable about the drive shaft of the sealer, and an armsupporting the shaft of one of the said rotating pulleys carries a camfollower which, upon lifting of the frame, engages with a stationary camrail, thereby shortening the center distance between the pulleys andcausing the band to buckle away from the heater shoe. A scraper,adjustably attached to the sealer frame, removes the surplus paste fromthe sealing band and deposits the same into a waste pot also carried bythe sealer frame, thus avoiding frequent stoppage of the machine forcleaning the sealer.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification andin which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the improved cigarette rod sealer;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the sealer; and

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, showing the action ofthe cam for buckling the sealing belt to disengage it from the heater.

In carrying the invention into effect there is provided means forforwarding a cigarette rod having a pasted seam, an endless heatedsealing belt arranged to extend along the cigarette rod and contact saidseam to seal the same, a heater arranged to heat the belt, and mechanismfor driving said belt so that the portion thereof in contact with saidseam travels in a direction 5 opposite to the movement of the cigaretterod, whereby the portion of the belt just heated is the portion withwhich the rod first contacts. In the best constructions contemplatedthere is provided a pivoted sealer frame carrying pulleys over which thesealing belt is trained, and mechanism for automatically disengaging thebelt and heater when the sealer frame is lifted out of operativeposition. These various means and parts may be widely varied inconstruction within the scope of the claims for the particular deviceselected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possibleconcrete embodiments of the same. The invention therefore, is not to berestricted to specific construction shown and described.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, a pedestal 5 supported by a frame 6 securedto the bed of the cigarette machine carries a vertical slide '7 guidedby rails 8. The height of the slide 7 may be adjusted by means of ascrew 9 turning loosely in a slotted ledge of slide '1 and engaging witha threaded split lug 10 of pedestal 5, the screw 9 being held inadjusted position by clamp-screw 11 connecting the split ends of lug 10.In slide '7 is journaled a stationary shaft 12 on which the sealer frame13 is loosely mounted and on which revolves a bevel gear 14 held inplace by a collar 15 and fastened to a sprocket 16 also loosely mountedon shaft 12 and driven by a chain 17 from the main drive of thecigarette machine.

On a stud 18 in frame 13 is pivoted a bracket 19 which carries a'pin 20whereon is pivoted an arm 21 carrying a horizontal shaft 22 on whichrevolves one of the pulleys 23 carrying the endless steel sealing beltor band 24. The other pulley 25 is fixed on a shaft 26 revolving inbearings of frame 13 and driven by a bevel gear 27 in mesh with gear 14.True alignment of the pulleys 23 and- 25 is effected by an adjustingscrew 28 in bracket 19 bearing against a stud 29 in frame 13 protrudingthrough an opening in bracket 19, the bracket 19 being secured in theadjusted position by a screw 30 passing through a slot in the bracket.The tension of the sealing belt on the pulleys 23 and 25 is adjusted bya screw 31 tapped into arm 21 and bearing against the head of a plunger32 sliding in frame 13 and tensioned by a spring 33 coiled around it.The arm 21 has a tail 21a which abuts the web of bracket 19, therebylimiting the outward heater arranged to heat said belt, and a resilientmountforoneofsaidpulleystotakeupthe expansion of the belt when thelatter is heated.

8. In a cigarette rod sealer, the combination with an endlesssealing-belt, of a sealer frame, a driven pulley and an idler pulleysupported on said frame, over which pulleys said belt is trained, aheater arranged to heat said belt, a resilient mount for one of saidpulleys to take up the expansion of the belt when the latter is heated.said mount including an arm carrying said idler pulley and pivotallysupported on said frame, and a compression spring interposed betweensaid frame and arm.

9. In a cigarette rod sealer, the combination with an endless sealingbelt, of a sealer frame, unflanged driven and idler pulleys supported onsaid frame, over which pulleys said belt is trained toengagethepastedseamofa travelingclgarette rod and seal the same, andflanged pinch rollers arranged to press the belt on said pulleys,whereby a more positive drive of the belt is assured and there are noflanges on said pulleys to interfere with the cigarette rod.

10. In a continuous rod cigarette machine, the combination with achanneled rod forming plate, of a forming tape traveling through thechannel of said plate and forwarding therein a cigarette rod having apasted seam, side guides on said plate arranged to hold the margins ofthe forming tape against the rod to enhance the traction of the tape on,the rod, and a heated endless sealing belt arranged above said plate toextend along the cigarette rod and contact with said seam to seal thesame, said belt being narrow enough to go between the edges of the tapein order to avoid scorching the same.

ELBERON D. sm'm.

A. SPENCER Feb. 26, 1935.

BUFFER Filed Feb. 7, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l

